Butler Metro Park

Amazing experience and good food. Abit overpriced but you are paying for a great experience. There was a guy at the pit doing a great job explaining how they care for their food. Public parking 12 dollars across the restaurant on afriday Night.

December 2025 So many great views of the city, nice paved trails, and a wonderful playground for the kids. Such a great way to take a stroll in the evening leading up to sunset.

Beautiful walking park with a great pond to watch the ducks & turtles. There's a great playground for kids, fields to play outdoor sports and great walking trails. Park is dog friendly.

Hidden Gem 💎 Hidden in plain sight! Butler Metro Park is a great place to see the city. Very spacious and hugs the river. Pro Tip: This is a great place to park if you want to go to Terry Blacks, Parmer Event Center, and Long Horn Center. 10/10 Trees 🌳

Cool playground with several different play styles. Rock climbing, rope climbing, slides, splash pad etc. cute trails to walk with little docks over the lake. Beautiful scenery.

We absolutely love this park. It's great for big and little kids. The only complaint I have is how upsetting it is to see all the trash floating in the ponds and seeing unsupervised kids fishing the area that's 99% turtles. One time we left as it was too upsetting to my 2 yr old grandson to see.

This metro park is a fantastic spot for families with toddlers and small children! The playground is thoughtfully designed with plenty of activities to keep little ones entertained for hours. The slides and climbing structures are fantastic, offering fun and safe challenges for kids to explore. The sandy play areas are a huge hit—perfect for digging, building, and just letting kids’ imaginations run wild. The equipment is in great condition as this is a new park from last year, and the whole space feels very child-friendly. One of the park’s best features is how clean and well-maintained it is. Everything from the playground to the surrounding areas is spotless, making it a joy to visit. Plus, the people here are so friendly—there’s a great sense of community, and it’s easy to strike up a conversation with fellow parents. Another huge plus is the onsite bathroom, which is clean and conveniently located—a lifesaver when you’re out with little ones! Whether you’re looking for a quick outing or a longer day of play, this park is a fantastic choice. Highly recommend for families!

Butler Metro Park is such a gem—like a smaller, more kid-focused version of Zilker. The open grassy fields are great for picnics, playing tag, or just relaxing in the shade. The playground (part of the Alliance Children’s Garden) is huge and super creative, with colorful equipment for all ages and a splash pad to beat the Texas heat. It’s in a great spot too—right next to Auditorium Shores and not far from Barton Springs. One of my favorite things here is the gorgeous view of the downtown Austin skyline, especially during sunset. You’ll also find swings, shaded seating, and wide open space to just breathe and enjoy the outdoors. Definitely recommend it for families, visitors with kids, or anyone looking to enjoy a peaceful green space with a great view of the city. That said, Like many public parks, you might see some unhoused folks around, especially at night, and the restrooms probably aren’t the cleanest (I didn’t use them, but others have pointed that out).

Hidden Gem Hidden in plain sight! Butler Metro Park is a great place to see the city. Very spacious and hugs the river. Pro Tip: This is a great place to park if you want to go to Terry Blacks, Parmer Event Center, and Long Horn Center. 10/10 Trees

Parked at the butler district park and walked the trail along the river. Must have walked for about 2 hours. It's a beautiful trail. A lot of people use this trail for biking, running, walking, and walking their pets. There are benches here and there along the trail. Which is nice to just sit and enjoy the moment. And look out over the water. You can see people paddle boarding, or kayaking. You can rent those, or you can bring your own, as they do have places to launch too. Had a wonderful time out in nature. And I will do this again before the weather gets cold.

My husband and I have been to this park multiple times. We ride around Austin on our E-bike and stop here to stretch our legs, eat a meal or a snack and to enjoy the atmosphere. We decided to ride up this hill and check out the view. It was really pretty. There are places to sit up on the top of the hill. We've also sat under some of the trees that provide shade or by the different water features. There is plenty of space to hang out. I noticed that there is a children's park with a lot of fun playground activities for kids. There are bathrooms by the children's park but sometimes they are locked. They also have porta potties in the same area. It's a cool outdoor place to visit.

This is an Austin staple of a park with the grassy areas for dogs and kids to run, a sprinkler/water fountain, several playgrounds, and a the Doug Sahm hill to climb to get that I'm-on-top-of-the-world view of the city. With all these combined, you can't help but feel blissful as you take you walk amongst this area. While it's a 5 star park, a few issues come with visiting here that prevent me from giving it that fifth star. First is parking, you will either need to get lucky or wait for someone to bounce before snatching up their spot to get here. Second is there can be a lot of homeless people hanging around here. I usually don't have issues with them unless they interact with me when I just want to enjoy my serenity and peace of mind within the park.

Open and spacious park! Visited on a weekend morning, and there were many families, groups, and pets walking and sitting! Love the view of downtown and the river. Very clean, and parking can be found at various points throughout!

Parking is definitely difficult here but totally worth visiting. They charge for parking however after 5 its FREE. They have 3 playgrounds next to each other that are HUGE. They also have a pond, water sprinkler [comes up from floor] and a large hill worth climbing to view the city. We also got lucky at the top of the hill and saw a bat. [ Bats can be seen in the later months]

An Austin gem. Places like this are what make Austin Austin. Huge green space with a small town local vibe right on the edge of downtown grounds an otherwise very urban environment. It's busy but not crowded, always an enjoyable time soaking up the sun and getting some exercise or relaxing under a tree with a book.

The good: Best park ever! Come here! Yelp photos don't do it justice. This park is amazing, modern, clean and fun! I stumbled upon it when I went to get BBQ across the street. There is so much to do here. This is an amazing park for kids and adults alike. There is plenty of space to spread out for a picnic. The grassy area is very large and you get beautiful views of the skyscrapers and city. There's an off leash dog park nearby. There's a water fountain area where the kids can run in to cool off on a hot day. There are also tons of kids' jungle gyms, sandboxes, and much more (to stimulate those young kids!). Your kids will not be bored here. I've never seen a better park for kids in my entire life. There is also a water area with a fountain so the park is very pretty and feels cool from the water. I saw tons of kids and dogs here when I came on president's day. The bad: I don't know if there's a specific parking lot for the park. I think it may be street parking. The interesting: People also use the park for engagement photos. There's a lot of space here and a lot of greenery/water so it's definitely an ideal spot for some nice family photos too.

Amongst the urban parks, this is the best one. It is well designed and also well maintained. We even saw a street light getting replaced. First, there's the small pond with lily pads (I would have wanted to be proposed to here). There's the fountain (Liz Carpenter Splash Pad) which was off when we went early AM but a couple of little kids were still enjoying the area (Auditorium Shores Playground). Next, run up the Doug Sahm Hill Summit and run down the diagonally circular Doug Sahm Hill Path (or the opposite). Two women had found the most perfect spot to do yoga on that summit. The 360 views are sure worth taking in - and most especially, the sunrise. Finally, walk the myriads of routes from the Auditorium Shores at Town Lake Metropolitan Park to the Vic Mathias Shores at Lady Bird Lake Metro Park (yeah, I thought the same thing about the number of dedications in this one area). You see creative architecture for the arts centers and theater on one side and the rapidly densifying riverside skyline on the other side. Don't miss on the route the Bicentennial Time Capsule, Fannie Davis Town Lake Gazebo and pond by the Brent Grulke Plaza, Stevie Ray Vaughn Statue, and back along the river past the Auditorium Shores Dog Park. There are restrooms here too. For a small hidden hill adventure detour - cross the bridge west over the creek and enter the Butler Park Pitch and Putt on the southern side - with some golf hills that are temporarily closed but perfect grass to enjoy from a bench with a coffee and a book. It's approximately 1.2 mi round trip depending on your chosen route. We parked in the small lot off Dawson (off Barton Springs Rd) next to the Dougherty Arts Center and saw most spots open early in the morning.

Thank you Yelp for helping us find this park on our visit to Austin from Minnesota. We parked here and ran through the park and then along the path following the river. Awesome way to see the city and nature at the same time! If you have kids this is a must stop for the unique playground. The Alliance Children's Garden was beautiful.

There is so much for kids to do at this park, it's almost like a theme park with many different types of playground equipment. There is even a splash pad for warm weather days. My 2-year-old had a blast. He could have easily stayed all day. My dogs also enjoyed roaming around (on leash, of course), and there is plenty of open space for both pups and people. And not to mention, there is a great view of downtown Austin from the top of the hill.

Amazing park; bring all your kids even the furry ones. Was a perfect weather day. Tons of outdoor activities and playgrounds for kids. Austin really keeps its parks clean and safe.

Came to Austin on a mission to locate the Stevie Ray Vaughn statue, mission accomplished. After some research I discovered this greenbelt park next the 1st Street Bridge had the monument to the guitar god himself. Parking was available in a small lot right by the running path along the river. After walking a small distance there stood the giant bronze statue of the man himself. A larger than life bronze statue was erected for the man who played the blues his way. After paying homage I snapped some photos and off I went. As for the park it has a nice biking & running path along the river, yet it's mainly an open grass field and not much else. I recall coming here once before for an outdoor music festival. Well, I hope my info helps you find the statue.

Wow - it's hard to believe it has been more than 4 years since I first reviewed Butler Park. At that time, my son was a roly poly toddler and I was a hyper-vigilant stay-at-home-mom of a preemie who had only recently discovered the joys of Yelp (ahhh, what a relief to use the rest of my brain again!). My, my, my, how time does fly. Now that we have an active 6 year old (who as far as I know doesn't guzzle pool water anymore), we still adore this park. It's a gorgeous place for a stroll or picnic (but beware of grackles!), and it's a must stopping point when we want to show off Austin to out-of-town guests during mild weather. The views at night are now even more spectacular, especially from the observation hill. These days, we're most likely to visit when attending some kind of shindig next door at the Parmer Event Center or Long Center, or a concert or race across the way at Auditorium Shores. Parents of toddlers, please know that the City of Austin finally cleaned up its act last year and put in a reliable water purification system for the awesome Liz Carpenter fountain, so you shouldn't have to worry much about catching cooties here any more. I'm feeling inspired to create a new list called "XOXO from Austin" about all the things that make me love this town and Butler Park will be the first entry.

This beautiful park is where my Urban Animal boot camp class meets three times a week. It's nice to be out exercising in the fresh air and sunshine, and in such a gorgeous setting, too. Usually, there is a pleasant breeze blowing off Town Lake. Butler Park, both pretty and functional, is our outdoor gym. The big hill, lamp posts, benches, trees... everything here does double duty as counter weights, step stools, markers, etc. during our workouts. And then there are the real urban animals to look forward to. There are always turtles walking to and from the lovely pond. Last week, two mama turtles were laying their eggs just off the main path. Once, I dropped to the ground for a push-up and came face to face with a teensy weensy baby turtle, all covered in mud. Another time, I jogged over a small hole in the ground, doubled back, looked in it and saw a snake's head and eye looking back at me! There are lots of birds and butterflies around, too. Free parking is available on lots off Riverside Drive as well as off Barton Springs Road. And the Butler Park restrooms are awesome, just about the cleanest of all the Austin parks!

This is an awesome open spaced park kinda of in a perfect spot. I love the openness and the sidewalks everywhere. I also love the little hills - I am not sure why some exist, but they are fun and good exercise for a kid to run up and down. There is also a beautiful water fountain to play in when it is warm. You will catch some gorgeous views of downtown too. There is public restroom in case of emergencies. Plus parking here is always easy and free! This park is dog friendly and they have little stations to encourage dog owners to pick up the poo. Very nice if you ask me. Like I said this little park is awesome and beautiful. It is well kept and a great place to hang out for a bit. If you have a kid that needs to run off some energy it is great spot for that too.

This is my favorite thus far of all the city parks. We stopped by today to bask in the post-inaugural glow of a glorious Austin day, and it was everything we could have hoped. Rolling hills crowned by a cloudless sky, fountains (complete with rainbows!), a crane on the shore of the pond.....we lucked out with the weather and it made for a perfect afternoon, along with providing yet more evidence for me (that I didn't even need) of how fortunate I am to call this city home. We walked up the little winding path to the crest of the "Hilltop Observation" area; there's a nice view to be had from there. It's no Mt. Bonnell, but still nice, definitely worth a look, and a good picture spot for out of town visitors. The cleanliness of the women's restroom never fails to impress me. And they always, always have soap, which is like manna from heaven in a park bathroom. Simply put, a treasure. A lovely spot to while away a Sunday afternoon or, alternatively, a good reason to play hooky from work. Can't wait to go back for a picnic.

I go to parks every week with my kids and had no idea this existed. It is SO FUN! My kids played in the splash pad, ran up the hills, tried to catch fish in the pond and we had a picnic. It is even great for night time because of the lights in the fountain. It is gorgeous hills with the background of downtown Austin. You should go. Great for kids, great for adults. Bathrooms on site. Bring a swimsuit and a towel.

We came here for the Liz Carpenter Fountain, which consists of dozens of fountain heads arranged in a spiral pattern that sporadically shoot, bubble and gush sprays of water up to six feet in the air. Another great beat-the-heat activity and a good, free alternative to the pool if your kids aren't the best swimmers. My nephews and I loved running through the fountain and splashing in the shallow pools. I thought they would get bored eventually but I had to force them to leave about an hour and a half and they were asking to go back the next day. Crocs or swim shoes might be a good idea here but clothes or a swimsuit works. The water smells heavily of chlorine, but at least you know its clean.

Have made it by here several times. Also played model for a day and shots taken of me. Several photo opportunities. Early mornings are great to watch the sun come up behind the skyline. It is a great place to sit and read and enjoy the lake and surrounding area. Relaxing, even with all the people. And the majority of them are friendly. They have water fountains up from the small lake, the kids love to run through them, but I also enjoyed it! I go back again and again....

Wonderfully, cool, unique Austin spot with a little hill named after the great Austin musician, Doug Sahm. They have a cool little fountain water park for the kiddos and a million poke-stops around to keep you busy for hours. Parking can be a little hard here, but if you do come down, bring your bikes and ride on all the trails down here!

Butler Park is right across Riverside from the Town Lake Riverfront Park and biking trails. This park is up on a hill, right by the performing arts center, and is really a beautiful park. This park was lovingly designed to have all kinds of interesting places to hang out, sit and reflect, or get active! Right in the center of the park is a spiral path to Doug Sahm, of the Texas Tornadoes. There's a great fountain right in the center that you're free and welcome to go splashing around in. When I went biking by, I saw groups of urban warriors working out and doing step ups on the giant stone blocks. There's some waterfront areas here that are overlooked by a cool pier, and there are lots of ducks that congregate here. Parking is easy if you park over at Town Lake Park, just to the northeast of this park. There's a big lot, and that's where the restrooms are too. Be careful when crossing Riverside to get to the other park, as Austin drivers can be aloof. I highly recommend checking out this place- the statue to Stevie Ray Vaughan is just down the hill towards the river from this park.

This a huge park! We come here to do laps around the park. There is a huge water fountain kids play in during summer time (the city made the water clean for small children). There are lots of trees but it's an overall very sunny park. This is a good place for kids to learn to ride their bikes or skateboard! The reasons I am not giving it 5 stars is because: (1) Finding parking is a real pain. You will most likely have to wait for someone to leave to park. (2) The water fountain is always "closed for maintenance". (3) There is a huge tree near the center of the park where kids lot to hang off branches. If I go during the week, there are many homeless folks that sleep under the tree.

I dig this park, it is on my rotation of locations to get my sweat on. I found it prior to moving to ATX from Houston as I was very early for an appointment, so I parked there and waited it out. As stated earlier, I mostly come here to get my sweat on; it's ample enough to work out without the typical crowding you find at corporate gyms. I bring my ropes, kettle bells, medicine ball(s), and jump ropes. Sometimes, you can find workout partners to join, but if you want to be left alone, that will happen as well. About the only thing I dislike about this park is the parking, but then early bird gets the worm, right?

Another great 'metropolitan' (not urban) park for ATXers.

Butler Park has been around for less than a decade, but the land it sits on has had quite a long and interesting history. Did you know that the area where Sahm hill is located (near Riverside Dr.) is where the Austin City Coliseum previously stood? The homely looking Quonset hut-style structure was most notable for the musicians who played there from the 1950s to 1990s, including acts ranging from Elvis Presley, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and The Clash. The later famously used the City Coliseum as a backdrop for "Rock the Casbah" music video, which was filmed in and around Austin in 1982. About where the fountain is now located is where the old Disch Field was, home of the Austin Senators minor league baseball team. From 1947 until 1965, minor league baseball was played at this site, culminating with a league championship in 1959. In the 1960s, the Senators became a farm team for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves and was host to countless future MLBers, including hall of famer Phil Niekro. So, next time you're at Butler Park enjoy the views of downtown and think of all the history that occured beneath your feet!

Quick reasons why I love this park: 1.) It's purty! I'm from SW Texas so I'm not used to such manicured green grass. Great for a picnic or to throw a football around (I imagine- if I was a dude that's what I'd do there). 2.) There's a public restroom with running water. That beats any Austin Outhouse! 3.) My super secret favorite free parking place is around here! 4.) There's a hill where you can sit and enjoy the sights and sounds of whatever festival is set up at Auditorium Shores. 5.) Good for kids.. if you're into that parenting stuff. 6.) It's safe. I have a cop friend who checks up on this place to make sure ppl aren't having sex and shit at night.

Good vibes always ! Fresh air and just amazing atmosphere, legit can be over there daily ! It's most famous lake and has so many people all around the city going there and relaxing ! The best, but people leave trash all over place so next time see some on floor pick it up for cleaner environment, I sure did !!!!

This is Austin at its best! I don't have much more to add to what Lefty M. has already written so thoroughly and well -- I really just wanted to raise my hand and join the chorus of people who love, love, love this park. This place is bar none one of the best places to take little kids on a hot summer afternoon. And it's free! Free! Free! This is the kind of thing that makes me more than happy to pay my taxes! (Sort of.) So put the kiddos in their swimsuits, pack some snacks, and go get soaked. And once you get nice and cool, run up the hill for the best view of downtown Austin there is. The kids will definitely enjoy walking over the huge map of Texas engraved in the pavement at the top. Just one word of warning - there is absolutely no shade in the area, so remember to lather the kids up with sun screen, and don't forget that the kids aren't the only ones who need sun protection. Last time we went, spouse got good and toasted (and not in a fun way).

Just wanted to update that the fountain where kids play is closed for now and not sure for how long. But this is still a fun place for kids to visit! See the piano overlooking the city in my pics:)

We had a blast here. I went the other day after reading the reviews and I was definitely pleased with the place! I would say, depending on your child, ages 6months to about 5 years old would love the main fountain. Some kids played in their clothes, but most wore swimsuits. Around the fountain are little pools of water for kids to splash around in or bring small water toys in to. I went on a week day around noon and it was pretty crowded, but the way it's set up, the crowd didn't bother me and most parents were very laid back and friendly. There is plenty of grassy areas to bring a picnic, but also it is close to many great restaurants. Dogs must be on leashes and are not allowed in the fountain. There was a cool duck pond, but no ducks were in it when we went??? So, don't bring any bread for them!! I want to add that it was super easy to find and parking was easy when I went.

This is a really fantastic park. It's got lots of wide open spaces and is beautifully maintained. At night, there are a ton of people around and it's well-lit, so it'd be a nice place to get a late night walk in. It's also got a giant water fountain, and lots of little hills so you can pretend you're living somewhere that isn't flat. It also has a TON of PokéStops and people are constantly dropping lures. Currently it spawns Charmanders, so head out there if you're trying to catch 'em all.

I was here for the Stars Across Texas event at the Long Center on the terrace. It's part of the Hill Country Wine Festival. I gotta say I love that terrace on a lovely spring evening. It's got a great view and if the weather is right it's a wonderful spot for an event. Am glad they had it at that location.

Great park for folks that don't want the hassle of runners or soccer teams or muddy sections and enjoy the convenience of relatively clean bathrooms, well maintained lawns, and fun water features. I would add a 5th star if they fenced in the section closest to train tracks and made it a small off-leash dog park.

I can't say anything wrong about this place, my husband proposed to me at the top of the Butler Park hill, so to me, there is not one wrong thing with this park! Great to bring your dogs or out of towners or yourself! The top of the hill has an amazing panoramic view of downtown Austin. There are boot camp classes happening around the area, lots of grassy areas to run around in, a small man-made lake, restrooms are also available and a very small parking lot that is shared with the Arts Center. You can hop onto the trail and walk/run along town lake, long center and palmer events center are also nearby. They have fountains running all the time for kids/adults to run through and play in. At night, the fountains are lit with different colors and it's really fun too! Great way to cool off in this Austin heat!

I had a picnic at this park. It is pretty cool, easy to get and lots of free parking. This park had a pond, sprinklers, bike and running path, and plenty of greenery. I don't know how much details I can give about a park, but I'm going to try. It is perfect for picnics, family exercise, very clean, nice view of downtown. Probably isn't a bad spot to view fireworks. I like the fact it hasn't been crowded liked other nearby parks. there are a few trees to catch some shade and plenty of space to play Frisbee, with your pet, football, out fly a kite. Definitely add this park to your list of Austin parks for relaxation. Only thing is I didn't notice is any barbecue grills, or sports fields like for tennis, basketball.

Can only review the fountain park, but it is great! We have kids ages 14, 11, and 2 and all of them had a blast (can't say that about very many places). We stopped by on the way home after dinner Frday night to splash around in the dark and again Sunday morning after a family jog around the lake. Small word of warning, the surface around the edges of the little wading pool areas is quite slick - our toddler navigated it fine, but his post-run parents darn near took a fall! We definitely plan or returning bringing a picnic lunch as well this time.

5 stars for the splash fountain, romantic trail and picnic space. I have no real children, just two pound puppies. The boy pup is not well behaved enough to make public appearances so I'll speak to the experience of my husband and myself at Butler District Park. The mister and I visited the park after dining at Fonda San Miguel a couple of weeks ago but we were there after 10pm. The splash fountain fun was over before we arrived. Drat! So, we just strolled through the park holding hands as though our relationship was new! We returned for the 4th of July fireworks show and finally saw the fountain in action!!! It looked so fun! It was hella packed. I'll probably return to the fountain with a change of clothes in the car. This type of fun should not be limited to toddlers.

Been a couple of times, one with bikes and kids. Kids loved getting wet and riding through the place. Parking is always full, so get there early if its possible

This park is awesome. Hugging the banks of city lake as it ebbs its way through the heat of Austin, this narrow park is a perfect place for a run or to bring you dog and let them swim in the river. Just watch out for summer rainstorms, they come along pretty quick and you can leave you drenched if you're not close enough to your car or a cafe.

Love this place! The splash pad is amazing. I like to bring my kids first thing in the morning before it gets to hot and crowded. I just wish the bathrooms had changing tables since most of us at the splace pad have small children.

Great place to go and relax, workout, do some people watching or just hangout! The view of the city and of town lake is great, take it in while you enjoy whatever is around. Enjoy!

I love this park, it's huge, well kept and tons of fun for the dogs (it's a leash-less park). No fences to worry about (it's big enough that the dogs won't run away), big fields for the dogs to play in and a great place for them to swim as well. I live in Houston and our dog park is a fenced in postage stamp with neon blue water holes.

We rode our rented bikes around the entire perimeter of the lake and it was just breathtaking. Mainly because we were out of shape and out of breath- but the views and trail itself was certainly breathtaking as well. Would highly recommend a bike ride here, especially after gorging on pounds of bbq for lunch.

I usually start my weekday after work runs here. Maybe i am lucky but i always get a parking. So that tells you one thing...its hard to get one, except for me. I love the atmosphere here. Its hard to put into words. pleasant. Another vibe of austin on the treble scale. It can be your romantic walk, your run start area, for your dogs to be free and swim, and maybe to find a bench or rock and read your favorite book. Places like this is why i still stay in Austin.

A-MAZING! It's magical at night, and like no other place in Austin. Great spot to take pictures.

What a fun place to hang out and people watch. I do a regular (year round) outdoor core class here and the venue is always great !

This park is awesome, green grass, paved walking areas and the best part is the splash pad for the kids. Perfect for a hot day!

Another of the many parks of Austin, this one located between the Long Center and the Dougherty Arts Center.